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From the third to the fourth century, the Roman Empire witnessed a widespread attempt to stop the spread of Christianity. Initially, leaders of the church were predominately targeted, but later anyone admitting to Christianity became a target. The persecutions hit a climax during Diocletian’s reign. These persecutions actually helped the spread of Christianity by glorifying Christians and beginning a tradition of martyrdom that shaped the Church, and the strength that Christians displayed shows that the persecutions could not have possible stopped the spread of Christianity.
In the first half of the third century, Christian persecution was fragmented and while Christianity was illegal, there is not evidence that it was widely persecuted. It also grew enormously during this time. Mostly, very outspoken Christian leaders were persecuted. In 249, the emperor, Trajan Decius, issued an edict that required all citizens to sacrifice to the gods. After this edict, there are numerous reports of Christian martyrdom in Alexandria, Smyrna and parts of Egypt. In 257, persecution was renewed under Valerian. After his reign, Galienus issued an edict ending the persecution of Christians, and peace in regards to religion was maintained throughout his rule . During this time, Christians became part of many Roman institutions, including the Senate and the Roman Army. It remained relatively stable until 303 under Diocletian and the tetrarchy. This period, called the Great Persecution, lasted until 312. Essentially, these persecutions led to an even greater spread of Christianity, and the cruelty of the Roman emperors’ in their treatment of Christians helped to quicken it.
From the third to fourth century, power was often fragmented. In the th...
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...its spread. There was no way that the persecutions could have been successful because of the inherent inability in the Roman government to enforce the persecutions universally. Instead, the persecutions created an abundance of aspiring figures that became important to the formation of the church.
To conclude, power was too fragmented in the Roman empire and the different emperors each had their own unique ways of dealing with Christians. Also, they had many problems to deal with including dynastic threats and foreign incursions. As a result, the Roman Empire simply did not have the resources to successfully stop the proliferation of Christianity. Instead, the persecutions inspired Christians to defend their faith and became a testament to the strength of the Christian faith. As a result, the persecutions helped spread and form a foundation for Christianity to grow.
The persecutions did help the spread of Christianity because they showed that people were willing to die for what they believe in. “I am corresponding with all the churches and bidding them all realize that I am voluntarily dying for God”(Ignatius, paragraph 5). This shows that Christianity is a way to unite ourselves with God and to be freed from all evils. Another reason it helped the spread of Christianity is that there were public executions which increased the number of people knowing about it. This also shows that the Romans don't really care for the individual freedom of their
The rise of Christianity in Rome did not come easily. It came with much destruction and death. The spark of Christianity in Rome came from an appearance of Martyrs in Rome. Martyrs were people that were executed for going against the common beliefs of pagan (polytheistic) ways. (Tignor, 2011, p. 286) Because of these awful executions, Christianity is said to be based off of “the blood of martyrs.” One of their main ways of spreading Christianity was through the sharing of their writings and by 300 CE there was an exceptional amount of book production throughout Rome. (Tignor, 2011, p. 289) “Christianity operated as one among many minority religions in the Roman Empire, and on several occasions experienced widespread persecution, especially under the emperors Nero (r. 54–68), Decius (r. 249–251), and Diocletian (r. 284–305). However, the situation changed radically under the emperor Constantine (r. 306–337), who in 313 issued the Edict of Milan that made Christianity a legitimate religion in the empire.” (Melton, 2010, p. 634)
By the fourth century C.E., the Roman Empire was declining. After so many years of perseverance the Roman Empire began to give into the changes that were happening all around them. One change in particular was the spread of Christianity. This new religion went against the traditions of the Romans, it was monotheistic and focused on the will of God. A religion that began small and under persecution became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
The single most important aspect of European empires, beginning just prior to the fall of Rome, is the spread of Christianity to all areas of the continent in as little as a few hundred years. Many theologians state that Christianities spread is the indirect influence of God and the adoration of people to one true faith. Though it is true that Christianity has brought about people that even atheists could call saints, it is unquestionable that Christianity was so monumental because it united larger groups of people and its spread is contributed to adherence to local customs and its lack of new ideas in comparison to other religions of the day.
The Roman Empire is known as one of the most powerful and influential empires the world has ever seen. At it’s height, this Empire had peace, economic prosperity and was expanding. Roman cities contributed to a fair amount of this success because they contributed to many advances during Pax Romana and united the empire. After the fall of the Empire, Christianity survived because although the empire separated into many kingdoms they were still being influenced by the religion.
While Christians were not sought out as a group in particular, it is true that individual Christians did suffer punishment in the hands of Roman authorities. Much of the punishments imposed on them were for criminal activities. As Bart Ehrman points out, while civil law was very developed, criminal legislation was rarely created. For the most part, governors were responsible for exacting punishment as they deemed necessary. For instance, Christians were not reprimanded for worshiping God but for violating laws on worshiping the emperor and the state gods. Most often, Christians were persecuted for “disturbing the peace.” Christians in the ancient world seem to project an image of exclusivity and isolation. Their communities were tight-knit and exacted extreme demands on their members.
There are certain traits the Roman Empire possessed which contributed greatly to the growth of Christianity. The Roman Empire, most importantly, united a great variety and cultures and people into what became one nation; the resulting unity and communication between so many peoples eased the spread of Christianity all over the world. Of the Roman emperors, even the extremely rude ones assisted in spreading the Christian faith; not despite, but relieved by their pursuit Christianity grew rapidly. Finally, the oppressed and broken nature of the plebeians made them very liable to and eager of the Christian message.
Throughout the rise of early Christianity in rome persecution ranged from commoners to emperors and was a common practice. The unfair oppression of Christians came from a place of fear from the emperors, However the commoners believed Christians disrespected the rank of the gods. Because of the inferior label put on Christians and their “shameful” behavior during this time persecution was an ongoing sequence.
It is difficult to discuss how Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, without looking at the relationship between Jews and Christians. Christianity is rooted in Judaism. Judaism is defined as the monotheistic religion of the Jews” (Duiker and Spielvogel 142). It is a
As the Imperial system gained hold, it was common practice for the Emperors to accept divine honors before their deaths. These living gods, in some cases, required sacrificial rituals as signs of loyalty and ingrained themselves with the older more traditional pagan gods. The requirement of a sacrifice to the emperor, as well as the forced belief in the complete pantheon became a significant source of conflict with early Christians. As Christians refused to worship the emperor as a god, persecution of the Christians and conflict with the cult was a constant source of strife. Emperor worship would continue until late in the western Empire until the reign of Constantine. In the early 4th century AD, Constantine either converted to Christianity or made it an acceptable part of Roman religion, eliminating the emperor deification altogether. Later Emperors such as Julian attempted to revive the old ways, but the deeply rooted Mithraism, and Christian cults combined were firmly set within Roman society. By 392 AD, Emperor Theodosius I banned the practice of pagan religions in Rome altogether and Christianity was, without question, the official religion of the state.
In conclusion, it is important to realize that it was not one single factor which was responsible for the spread of Christianity, all these figures came together to give the perfect platform for a new religion to develop, " Never before in the history of the race had conditions been so ready for the adoption of a new faith by the majority of the peoples of so large an area" (K.S Latourette).
During the first half century after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Roman government including governors in the eastern provinces took no active measures against Christians. The attitude of the higher Roman authorities had always been that Christianity was merely a sect of Judaism, and as such, were entitled to share in its privileges as a recognized religion. In 64 A.D. this attitude suffered a severe alteration. On July 19, 64 A.D. occurred the great fire of Rome. Half a million people were left homeless. Popular rumor persistently asserted that the fire was started by incendiaries acting under the orders of the Emperor Nero. It was said that Nero wanted the city burnt down so he could build a new city which was to be re-named after himself. Nero felt that something must be done to deflect the public indignation against him. To do this he contrived that accusations should be brought against the Christians. So Nero began an aggressive persecution of the Christians in Rome. Those who confessed their guilt were brought to trail. During these trials a great number of other Christians were uncovered and were also brought to trial. Oddly enough, these people were not charged with starting the great fire of Rome, but rather for “hatred of the humankind.”
Nearly 300 years separated Ignatius of Antioch and Augustine of Hippo, during that time a lot changed for Christians in the Roman Empire. The church moved from being a criminal religious organization, to a legal religious organization, to the only legal public religion. Christians during this time were always engaging the culture around them—religion, politics, literature, education, etc. This paper will describe the Christian Roman religion before Constantine and after Constantine.
The persecution of Christians that went on in the first, as well as the second century, was random and local. Nero was the emperor that started the persecution of Christians. After the Great Fire of Rome, the Christians were blamed and called arsonists, as well as causing them to receive vicious deaths in Rome. During the second century, the Christians were often just ignored. Even at the end of the 5 Good Emperors reigns, Christians still didn’t represent a large part of the Roman society.
When Christianity emerged in the Roman Empire, it was immediately marked as a superstitious and mysterious cult composed of revolutionaries, adulterers, cannibals, atheists, and sexual perverts. Fueled by these rumours, local governors such as Pliny the Younger, began the first wave of Christian persecution lasting from 30 CE - 250 CE. Though violent, resulting in the execution and torture of tens of thousands of Christians, the second phase of Christian persecution was far more violent, with its varying imperial edicts. Diocletian, a common man, launched the bloodiest attack against Christians in 303 CE resulting in the destruction of Christian meeting houses, Christian scripture, and the deaths of thousands of Christians. However, as much as Diocletian tried to squash Christianity, Christians refused to yield. Though much of his reign he wanted to destroy the Christian faith, his reign eventually led to the succession of Emperor Constantine and birthing Christianity as the main religion of the Roman